


Together Alone

by ShutUpandPull



Category: Caskett - Fandom, Castle
Genre: Caskett, F/M, One Shot, season 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-17
Updated: 2015-04-17
Packaged: 2018-03-23 08:31:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3761635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShutUpandPull/pseuds/ShutUpandPull
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castle's been away for a few days and Beckett's had a bit of a tough time without him - set early in season 5.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together Alone

Castle had only been away on his mini publicity tour for four days, just four days, but the way Kate’s body ached from the separation, from the absence of the mental and physical stimulation that so fulfilled her, it might as well have been four years. Thoughts of him consumed her days and nights - his hands, his lips, his scent, his everything. How foolish. How unlike her. How wonderful.

Years of resistance, of necessary patience and appreciation of time, yet this one brief trip out of town had thoroughly done her in. In her defense, since they’d become a _them,_ safe and secure that night from the storm outside his walls,they’d spent only a handful of nights apart, none without protest and abject disappointment. She’d grown accustomed to his soft sounds in the dark, to his sometimes too-warm body inches from hers, to his need to drift out of one day and into the next with a hand on her skin, a welcome comfort, it turned out, to both. Not to mention the minutes and hours preceding sleep, when time was theirs alone to share in the most heavenly of ways - and they did, always.

Despite the fact he was finally to arrive back in New York later that day, Kate woke feeling irritable, not that she ever really considered herself a morning person, by any means (well, Castle might beg to differ because he did do that one thing - more than once if she was lucky). Despite the fog of the early hour, her mind flashed almost immediately to the mile-high pile of paperwork stacked up on her desk, paperwork she promised Gates she’d have cleared by end of day - a promise only an utterly distracted fool would make. Right.

She took a deep breath in and released it audibly into the hush of her lightless bedroom. It was early, too damn early, but she still had twenty-three minutes before she had to pretend to be motivated. She stared with disdain at the clock which hadn’t yet sounded, chastised her own internal version for its premature intrusion, and began to rub circles at her temple to stave off the headache she could sense was destined to strike. It was then that it hit her, like a bucket of cold water to the face - Castle was almost home. Hours, not days, now separated them.

His flight was to land at JFK in fourteen hours and thirty-seven minutes (not that she was keeping track), and as that reality washed over her, as another moment on the clock ticked by, and then another, she felt her entire body begin to warm in a slow crawl upward from her toes. She exhaled a chuckle at her own embarrassingly prurient train of thought. He didn’t even need to be in the same state as her to invade her mind and her body so completely. 

Thoughts of him lingered moment after moment, unshakeable, and though she had too little time at her disposal to give herself to them as fully as she desperately wanted, she, nonetheless, found her fingers wandering along her skin in defiance of the glowing red lights before her. How she wished they were his. How she wished he was there to slide down her body beneath the loose sheet and make her come undone. How she wished she could roll him over and do the same.

Kate managed to crawl out of bed, finally, the clock’s alarm a cruel interloper, and step into the seductive pulse of the shower’s spray with a rich sigh, reveling in the heat that enveloped her, thankful for the extra time her body’s internal clock had gifted her, though she’d cursed it just moments before. She was nowhere near satiated - her hands were not his - but she felt marginally less annoyed about having to be a responsible working adult for the day.

Thirteen hours and fifty-two minutes left to survive, she thought, as she stood before the mirror a short time later and pulled her father’s watch tight against her wrist. _Survive?_ She stared at her own reflection. _How ridiculously dramatic, Kate._

**xxxx**

 

She’d put on two different socks that morning. Ridiculously distracted. Castle had left an already-worn t-shirt draped across the foot of her bed before he’d gone. She never moved it. It smelled too much of him that morning as she sat beside it, like some test she had to pass; she had to escape quickly for her own sanity, didn’t have the time or inclination to fix her error. Her fingers could feel the fabrics’ contrasting textures as she sat at her desk, held tight to each ankle in turn. It was left ankle over right knee, then right ankle over left knee, the restless swap every few minutes.

She couldn’t sit still. One of the bulbs above her desk flickered and buzzed, poked at her patience like a taunting neighborhood bully. Luckily Ryan and Espo were out on a witness interview and weren’t around to pile on. They were relentless as a duo, and it’d been all the worse since they’d learned of the secret she and Castle now shared.

Her mind wandered again as her eye caught sight of their gifted coffee maker through the window of the break room across the way. She shook her head and admonished herself for her adolescent lack of self-control. _It’s only been four_ _days, Kate. Get it together._

The elevator chimed in arrival behind her but she didn’t notice it over the ruthless hum of the fluorescents. The stack of paperwork next to her seemed just as tall as it did when she walked in that morning. It was piled up on Castle’s chair. She needed the extra space around her to breathe, a plan that backfired horribly, of course, as it was _his_ chair.

“Yo, Beckett.” Espo approached Kate’s desk with Ryan in tow. “You hear what I said?”

Kate looked up but said nothing, her mouth open as if she wanted to but couldn’t find any words.

“Too much paperwork does that to your brain, ya know. You shouldn’t let it pile up like that.” He dropped another file folder on top of the others with an amused grin.

“Thanks for the tip, jackass,” she grumbled. “Did you guys talk to Stanfield or what?”

Espo and Ryan turned to each other and shared a mutual what-the-hell-is-with-her look. “Well, _someone_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Maybe you need some of Ryan’s honey milk to help you chill out.”

Ryan pursed his lips at the obvious dig from his partner. “We talked to her.” He flipped open the small notebook from his pocket. “She says she saw Ellison two nights ago, but he left her place by 10:45 PM which she says she remembers very clearly because that’s when her husband always called from his office in San Diego.”

“ _Husband?_ Charming,” Kate mumbled. “Okay, check into the husband, find out what his deal is and what he’s doing out there. I’d like just one damn thing to fit together on this case.”

“I’m on it,” Ryan assured her, turning for his desk.

“Hey,” Espo prodded, Kate’s attention already turned back to the mess at her hand. “Two words: honey-milk.”

She looked up at him from beneath her lashes, her jaw visibly clenched. He nodded with a crook of an eyebrow and took a step backward toward Ryan. “Girl, you miss him baaaaad,” he teased in a whisper, glancing at his watch, knowing well Castle was set to return that evening. Gates was off in some meeting downstairs. Kate flipped him off as he ducked away.

**xxxx**

 

Three more cups of coffee and no food later, Kate pushed back from her desk and wandered over to the whiteboard which, by now, was covered in photos, timeline notes, and other tidbits of potential evidence, none of which had yet coalesced into any plausible theory or helped to point a finger at their current homicide victim’s perpetrator. Everything she and the boys had come up with so far sounded like something Castle would suggest and, like so many of his case contributions, seemed to have no basis in reality whatsoever. At least if he was around to offer some outlandish scenario, she’d have something to smile about.

“Hey, boss, you want to come get something to eat with us? Chinese from down the street?” Ryan’s tone was soft, too soft - almost timid. Espo had warned him of her mood and he’d taken it very much to heart.

“Yeah, you should come with us. Come on. Get your mind off of-”

Kate admonished him with a look alone.

“I was going to say _all this paperwork_. Touchy, touchy.”

She stepped back from the board to her chair and dropped into it inelegantly. “No, I really need to get this crap done so Gates’ll get off my back.” The two turned to head off without her. “But, thanks, guys,” she tacked on, because excessively pining for Castle’s mouth didn’t mean she had to be a total bear to everyone.

Her phone vibrated on her desk after they’d gone and she picked it up, expecting a text from Lanie with awaited results from their victim’s autopsy tests. But it wasn’t a text from Lanie, and her face lit up beneath the shadow of the flickering light above her.

_Hey, beautiful. Headed into the restaurant for lunch with my old buddy and then off to the airport. I’ll call you when I get in. Hope you’re not missing me too much. xo_

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes. He always brought that out in her, but in the very best way, in a way she’d never change.

_Oh, was it this week you were supposed to be gone? I completely forgot,_ she teased in reply, because he deserved it. _Enjoy lunch_. _Safe flight. xo_

She wanted to say so much more about so much more, but in a few hours he’d be there, and she was still just trying to keep things together long enough to get through the day. She didn’t delete his text, though. She loved it when he called her that.

**xxxx**

 

Gates was back from her meeting and in sour spirits behind a closed door, while Espo and Ryan sat in the office across the way putting together the puzzle of boxed paperwork tied to Ellison. The high afternoon sun beamed through the blinds of the bullpen’s windows and Kate wanted none of it. She’d been waiting all day for the sunset, and its refusal to simply arrive had her hand anchored at her forehead like a visor, keeping the unwelcome rays at bay.

The pile of paperwork on Castle’s chair was nearly gone, along with the energy her caffeine intake had managed to provide. She’d still eaten nothing but a package of crackers and peanut butter from the vending machine and a handful of jelly beans from the dish she kept on her desk. Twice in the last half hour she’d ignored her phone’s ring - one call from Lanie and the other from her father - in order to try and maintain focus on the task at hand. Everything other than getting the hell out of there for the weekend could wait.

The third time it rang, though, frustrated by its continued insistence, she huffed and snatched it up from its out of the way spot, answered it without scrutiny. “Yes.” It wasn’t at all a question.

There was a perceptible pause before she received a reply.

“You know how much I love it when you say that word. Say it again, but slower and use that breathy voice.”

“ _Castle?_ ” She was instantly flustered. “What time is - it’s early.” She pushed her wrist beyond her sleeve and peeked at her watch in confusion. The sun was still too bright.

“Well, I have some potentially bad news.” He took a heavy breath in and let it out. “I hope you weren’t too set on seeing me later.”

“ _What?_ ” Kate pushed back from her desk and practically jumped from her chair, sent it toppling over with a crash behind her. Espo and Ryan both whipped their heads around as Gates came flying out of her office with a roar. Kate waved them all off with a flush of embarrassment and bent down to right her chair. “You’re not-” Her voice was thick with disappointment and heartache.

“Oh, no, I am. I can assure you,” he interrupted in wicked tone. “In fact, there’s a good chance you can see me right _now_ if you make your way to the back stairs.”

She spun around like a top, took in the entire room like the detective she was. “Stop it, Castle,” she whispered. “Your flight doesn’t land for another-”

“I couldn’t wait. I took an earlier flight, and you need to get back here right now or Gates is going to get the show of a lifetime. And you know how much she hates fun.”

Kate hung up without another word and dropped the phone onto her desk. “I’m just going to - I’ll be back in a minute, guys,” she called into the office where Espo and Ryan sat entirely confused as to what they’d just witnessed.

Around the corner and beyond the elevator, she moved with hurried steps toward the door leading downstairs, the door hardly anyone ever used, the door behind which he told her he was waiting with need. When she reached it, she turned and backed into it, pushed it inward with her elbows with one final glance around for anyone who might’ve seen her sneak not-so-nonchalantly away.

Castle grabbed for her arm the second he saw it peek through the opening in the door and pulled her into his secret spot. Once she gathered her balance, she pushed him backward the few steps to the wall, her hands open wide against his chest. With her body pressed firmly against his, she seized his mouth, open and hungry, their soft sounds of gratification pulsing in vibration along their joined lips.

“I wasn’t sure if I should come,” he said pulling back, nearly breathless. “I know you said you had a ton of paperwork to finish today and I didn’t want to bother you, but-”

Her eyes traveled to his and then back to his mouth, the mouth she’d been waiting four torturous days for. “Since when do you worry about bothering me at work, Castle?” She pushed herself up onto her toes and bit gently at his lower lip. “Isn’t that your thing?”

His fingers clenched in possessive fists in the fabric at her hips. “Maybe so, Detective, but you seem to enjoy it just fine. In fact, I bet if I undid that button right there, right now,” his eyes dropped to her waist, “I’d find definitive evidence to prove my theory. And you detectives just love definitive evidence, don’t you?” He grinned, entirely satisfied with himself, because he knew how goddamned right he was.

Kate’s knee pushed forward, found space between his, his body the sudden beneficiary of nearly all of her weight. She softened against him, released, as their forms merged, her bones and muscles relinquishing all power her position held, as though her relief in his physical presence were a gift to be passed by touch from her body to his. He’d been away for four days, yet with her every moment still, and the sensation of his bulk, of his strength against her, at last, made her feel complete once again.

“Hey, are you okay?” He buried his fingers in her loose hair, pressed his lips against her forehead in the silence. “God, I missed this. Four days away from you and I was a complete wreck. Remind me never to write any books ever again.” His eyelids fell softly closed as the scent of her filled him.

She angled back after a long moment, her hands never breaking their connection with his body. Her hair fell across her face and she feebly shook it aside. “I love those damn books, wild character inaccuracies and all. Don’t you dare stop writing them.” Her expression remained stoic, though her eyes gave her away. He knew too well.

“Wow, you’re bossy when you haven’t seen my dashing mug for a few days. But, I’ll agree because I’m a world- famous author who’s entirely about giving the fans what they want.” He reached for her waist and tugged her playfully back in.

“I’m bossy when I want what I want.” Her fingertip traced the line of his chest. “And right now, what I want more than anything is to search for some of that evidence you mentioned - a long, long search, very thorough.” She inched up and tasted his neck, the tip of her tongue leaving a shine on his skin. “But you were early and I need to finish up here first, so I have to get back in there.”

His head dropped back against the concrete wall behind him. “Punished for being a romantic,” he huffed with a sigh.

She reached up and cupped his cheeks in her hands, dragged her thumbs along his skin. “I’ll make it up to you later. A lot. In fact, I might overcompensate, so you should come prepared.”

“I love it when you use the big words.”

Her face lit up in smile. “Now kiss me and get outta here before Gates finds something else for me to do.”

The kiss was hard and fast and every bit of what she’d hoped for, waited for - longed for.

“I’ll see you in a bit,” she told him over her shoulder as she made her way towards the door, her eyes traveling down his body one last time. “You should, uh, take a minute before you leave, Castle,” she cautioned with a wink.

“Yeah, no kidding,” he called out after her, her body already half out the door. “Hey, _wait!_ What did you mean ‘wild inaccuracies?’” He took a step forward but stopped immediately and looked down.

Most definitely a minute.


End file.
